DC visit

I had a chance in mid-February to spend the better part of a day flying to DC via LAX:

Ah the joys of urban sprawl.


Stopping in to thank Senator Cantwell for her sponsorship of H.R. 1240: Teaching Geography is Fundamental Act

Bright lights make us squinty.

Weekend XC skiing

Ian and I went up on Saturday to ski at Trollhaugen, a private co-op lodge near Snoqualmie Pass operated by the Sons of Norway. Grandpa and Grandma Frank and Carol are members so they invited us to visit for a half-day. The snow was scarce and icy but we had a good time with beautiful sunny weather.

Ian's last time cross-country skiing was around Christmas in Montana, where there was beautiful snow but the weather was quite cold--around zero F--so we only went for about 20 minutes and Ian wasn't sure that skiing was an enjoyable pursuit at all.This time Ian was all smiles, especially because he had both grandparents to watch and talk to the whole time.

For those of you who we haven't already told, Ian has been officially diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Cerebral palsy is sometimes considered an "umbrella" diagnosis, meaning that it describes symptoms better than the root cause. For now, though, it means his legs don't work right and he is very likely to face continued difficulty in using them. Right now that means he can only crawl by dragging himself with his arms. We are doing intensive physical therapy in the hopes that he will become more mobile.

Fortunately for all of us he is good natured and small enough to easily carry around.
Ian explores an igloo.

Writing again

Hi everyone,

It has been a long time.

I've been caught up in graduate school and family but have also become very troubled by the sense of imbalance in my life. I have grown tired of feeling guilty when at school over not spending enough time with my family, and when with my family over not doing enough work. This is of course not to mention my growing middle-aged angst over not spending enough time in the mountains running, climbing, or skiing.

I realized today that I am spending very little time in reflection or otherwise creatively engaged (though countless academics would here remind me that research often is a creative process).

More specifically, I miss reaching out to and connecting with my friends near and far. This has been a tough year for me in more ways than one and while I don't intend this forum to be a public wringing of hands (there are plenty of those already) it will be a chance to share with you what I'm up to and thereby bring a bit more balance back to my life....so keep an eye on this spot for more news, thoughts, and other postings.

All the best, Tim

Update on our son

Hi everyone, Ian Frank has been growing away, at last weighing he was nearly 7 and a half pounds! He is officially beyond his projected birth date by a couple of weeks now, too.

Here are some new pictures of Ian, you'll see from the progression that he no longer needs any breathing assistance at all (not even the nasal cannula) but is still being fed part of his milk through a feeding tube.

He is eating more and more of his food on his own by drinking thickened milk from a bottle and we are optimistic that he will come home in a couple of weeks.

Summer project

Hi everyone,

Sorry I haven't updated in a while. A lot has been keeping me busy!

One of my summer projects was to create a stone patio behind the house where there had been a 4-inch-deep pile of pea gravel. I figured I could do the whole project in the week between spring and summer quarters. Unforunately (and predictably), it took me much longer, and I would still be working on it (or procrastinating fom it) without the help of my dad and my father-in-law.

Summer project, finished...

More baby pics...

Ian was taken off of respiratory support today and is breathing on his own. That means he gets to spend his days and nights in an incubator. He got phototherapy today, which helps prevent jaundice.

Another adventure...

Hi everyone,

Some of you may be wondering why I haven't been updating my blog--of course, most of you know this as typical behavior. However, this time I have a pretty good excuse for why I haven't been keeping you all up to date:



The details:

Ian Frank
Born: May 25, 2008, 7:19 AM
Weight: 1263 grams (2 pounds 12 ounces)
Length: 37 centimeters (14.5 inches)

He'll be in intensive care for at least the next month if not two. If you want to visit, let us know!

One more...

How could I not have blogged a shot of Salamanca's Plaza Mayor? It's famous. If you want to see it get blown up, watch the film "Vantage Point."

A few final shots from Salamanca

Here are a few parting shots from my time in Salamanca:


The procession on Tuesday of Semana Santa featured a very important float and a ceremony in the plaza of the university. It was quite a spectacle.


Sunset on one of my last days in town, the Tormes river in the foreground.


A doorway in a small town south of Salmanca.

*sigh*

Tim

Semana Santa is a big deal in Salamanca

Salamanca makes a big deal for Holy Week (Semana Santa, the week before Easter), especially on Good Friday (Viernes Santo), the day Jesus was crucified. Here is a video from the center of town. This segment represents a very small part of the procession that winds through town.

The centerpieces of the processions are heavy floats which date back hundreds of years. They are carried through town on the backs of about twenty people and it's quite impressive. Everyone gathers around to watch the procession as it goes through town.

In this video, the float is of Jesus carrying the cross. A hooded man walks in front of the float carrying a large cross and dragging a huge chain in time to the music. At the end of the video you'll see how everyone in the float coordinates their movement with the music to have the sculpture of Jesus stumble under the weight of the cross.

Mom comes for a visit

My mom visited me in Spain for a week just one week before I had to go back home. We had a great time and did lots of traveling, some of which I'll post here, some of which you may never see...most of our time was spent in short trips in the vicinity of Salamanca, as her mid-week arrival and departure meant that it would be a long trip to Madrid.

We saw a lot of Spanish countryside. It used to be flat and have trees, but the Spaniards were so inspired by the desktop background of Windows XP that they landscaped the entire country:


This is Mom in front of Tordesillas, a tiny town famous for being the location where Spain and Portugal signed the Treaty of Tordesillas, wherein Spain got a leg up on Portugal in the New World (but hey, Portugal already dominated sea trade to the Indian Ocean and Brasil so who cared about those few little islands that Columbus had found?).

We had a nice time visiting their small museum and picnicking by the river.

I brought my skis all the way to Spain, so I would feel a bit silly if I didn't take them out for a little bit of turning (I had gone to Morocco in early February). My mom and I were joined by Caroline, a friend of a friend from England who was in Salamanca for language school.


The La Covatilla ski area is about 70 kilometers from Salamanca and usually has more snow--but it has been a very dry winter in Europe, and Spain in particular, so you can see that the only snow left is that made artificially and put on the runs.


Caroline grins for the camera...

and shows us how it's done.

The snow was in good spring conditions and while there were rocks poking through in parts it was still a ton of fun to go out skiing--which only reinforces my belief that it takes some pretty harsh conditions to make for a bad day of skiing.

Mom went for a hike as we skiied for the half day. Good times.

Salamanca with Mom

Here are a few shots from around Salamanca with my mom, who came for a week near the end of my stay in Salamanca:


A view of the Catholic University (towers at left) from the rooftop of the cathedral


The new cathedral and the medieval tower from a nice park at the edge of the city


Mom standing next to the moat which surrounds old town, Ciudad Rodrigo


Chocolate con churros, a very Spanish breakfast. The churros are basically 12" long deep fried donuts that are dipped into a cup of molten chocolate. Que rico and how decadent!

Proof at last!

I've known for many years of the thing variously termed a "man purse" or "murse," but until now had not seen a formal recognition of its existence outside the vernacular. Here, at last, is the evidence I've been seeking to justify my man-purse-carrying behavior, care of Delta Airlines!



Thanks Delta.

My favorite shot from Salamanca so far

It was raining torrentially this morning when I woke up. By the time I'd had my first cup of coffee, the rain had stopped and the sky was grey. By the time I'd had my second cup, the sky had cleared. I walked around and savored the feeling of the freshly washed city.

I stopped to take a picture of the cathedrals and this mural, which contains a beautiful and romantic quote from Neruda: "Quiero hacer contigo lo que la primavera hace con los cerezos." I'll leave that for you to translate or you can write if you like!

It's spring here and I have only two weeks left before I head back home. That's exciting because I miss some things about home, but sad because, as always, my list of things I wish I had done is still very long....

Saludos, Tim

A weekend in DC

I spent last weekend with a couple LONG travel days in Washington, DC for a meeting at National Geographic. We spent some time lobbying members of congress (go, geography education!) and the rest in meetings.

Posing on the Supreme Court's steps.


What does it taste like? Damn Starbucks marketers.


The DC Metro-how industrial. I feel like I'm living in Eraserhead.

Madrid

Wow have I been busy...not even time to blog! Two weekends ago Genya and I finished her visit with a trip to Madrid. We had a great time heading to museums and restaurants and even met up with our friend Bea and Juan; I knew Bea from way back when in Bellingham. Now she has returned to Spain.


Pretty park trees.


The coolest motor scooter EVAR!


Lots of cheesy gifts to be had near the Prado.


Which came first, the Guggenheim dog or this wall?

Continuing weekend travels...

A last scene from Bilbao...


We spent the night near Santander and then headed south through the Picos de Europa.


They are quite beautiful but don't have nearly enough snow!!